Heritage Trust Co Buys New Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Heritage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 10,152 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $110.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $127.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.73. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $178.39. The firm has a market cap of $34.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.46.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.